‘An illegitimate PM’: Opposition appeals to Likud MKs not to back Gallant’s ouster
Defense minister’s removal was ‘an act of insanity by an incompetent prime minister,’ says Lapid, as Liberman warns Netanyahu also preparing to fire attorney general
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The heads of Israel’s opposition parties promised to escalate their struggle against Benjamin Netanyahu’s “illegitimate” government on Wednesday, in a joint statement to the press following the prime minister’s decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the middle of a war.
The veteran Likud politician’s dismissal on Tuesday was an “act of insanity by an incompetent prime minister,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declared during the joint press conference in the Knesset with National Unity chairman Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman and The Democrats head Yair Golan.
Arguing that Netanyahu no longer had the trust of the military, Lapid accused the prime minister of having “weakened and damaged the IDF” for the sake of shoring up his coalition by passing legislation exempting Haredim from compulsory military service.
Netanyahu and Gallant had butted heads on a number of issues, including conscription, during his tenure. Gallant’s termination on Tuesday evening came only a day after the IDF announced that it would send out another 7,000 draft orders to members of the ultra-Orthodox community next week.
It also followed the coalition’s decision to cancel a vote on a controversial bill that sought to circumvent a High Court ruling preventing state-funded daycare subsidies from going to the children of ultra-Orthodox men who did not serve in the military.
Responding to Netanyahu’s decision on Tuesday evening, Gallant explicitly listed his opposition to draft exemptions as one of the reasons for his ouster, stating that the “discriminatory, corrupt law” on Haredi enlistment must not be allowed to pass.
Lapid urged the public not to buy into Netanyahu’s explanations for his actions, stating that “Gallant was not fired because of professional disagreements.”
“Gallant was fired only for political reasons, only because he prevented Netanyahu from passing the draft evasion laws. He was fired because Netanyahu chose draft dodgers instead of those serving,” Lapid charged.
“The prime minister cannot be trusted, the cabinet cannot be trusted. The last person who could be trusted in this crazy government was fired yesterday.”
Lapid argued that if Netanyahu could take such a radical step as firing his defense minister in the middle of a war, his argument that it was not an appropriate time to establish a commission of inquiry no longer held water. He appealed to “the good people who still remain in the coalition” not to continue to support the government.
Speaking after Lapid at the podium, Gantz called Gallant’s dismissal at this time “a serious blow to security and the spirit of the people” but pledged that “it will not break us.”
A cross-aisle appeal
“A large majority of the people are behind us, and a large majority of Knesset members from Likud, from Religious Zionism as well as from the ultra-Orthodox parties understand that we must not let Netanyahu take us back to October 6,” Gantz continued, calling on those lawmakers “to show the courage not to abandon the citizens of Israel again.
“Between the security of the state and the security of the coalition, Netanyahu chose to preserve the coalition and dismantle Israeli society,” Liberman concurred, stating that the decision to fire Gallant had sparked celebrations in Iran.
“It is clear that the dismissal of the defense minister harms the security of the country and national stability. The next step will be the dismissal of [Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman] Yuli Edelstein from his position and then the dismissal of the attorney general,” he predicted.
A bill seeking to regulate ultra-Orthodox enlistment is currently stuck in Edelstein’s committee, where he has said it will only pass if lawmakers can reach a “broad consensus” on the matter. The attorney general has repeatedly engaged in conflict with the coalition over various legislative efforts and policy decisions.
Liberman added: “I call on the members of the Likud faction, those who are loyal to the legacy of [Ze’ev] Jabotinsky and [Joseph] Trumpeldor — who are turning over in their graves over Netanyahu’s decision to promote draft evasion — don’t lend a hand to political bribery.”
The Democrats’ Golan was even harsher in his assessment of Netanyahu, stating that the premier had “forgotten what it is to be a bereaved brother” and pledging to escalate the struggle against Israel’s “illegitimate prime minister” and “illegitimate government.”
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Tuesday to protest Gallant’s firing.
Responding to opponents’ criticism, Netanyahu’s Likud party launched a withering attack on the opposition, without addressing any of the arguments made by the four party chiefs.
“When the left led by [Yair] Golan, [Yair] Lapid and [Benny] Gantz together with [Avigdor] Liberman stands by Gallant’s side, that says everything,” a party spokesman said in a statement.
“Just two years ago, the four of them formed a government together with the Muslim Brotherhood party” — a reference to the Islamist Ra’am party — “and came to a surrender agreement with Hezbollah — and they still dare to talk of security,” he said.
“Just a few months ago, Liberman mocked Gallant and said that ‘we don’t have a defense minister, we have a ‘threats minister.’’ And two months ago, Gantz stated that Gallant must resign. Prime Minister Netanyahu, together with new Defense Minister Israel Katz, will lead Israel to total victory,” the spokesman stated. “They will continue to complain, and we will continue to win.”
A cabinet reshuffle
Around the same time as the press conference was taking place, Justice Minister Yariv Levin mocked High Court Justice Yael Wilner for her decision to hear a petition asking the court to annul Gallant’s firing, accusing her of stepping into “the prime minister’s shoes and deliberat[ing] on the firing and hiring of ministers.”
The High Court of Justice has given Netanyahu until Thursday at 12 p.m. to file his response to petitions filed by the Israel Democracy Guard and the Movement for Quality Government watchdogs.
Gallant, whose termination takes effect Thursday evening, is set to be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, with New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar in turn taking Katz’s position as head of the foreign service.
Under Sa’ar, the ministry is set to receive a budgetary increase of NIS 545 million ($146 million) for a campaign to improve Israel’s public diplomacy abroad, his office announced.
In addition, New Hope MK Sharren Haskel will become deputy foreign minister, working on public diplomacy, while Ze’ev Elkin will be appointed a minister in the Finance Ministry overseeing the Tekuma Directorate — tasked with rehabilitating the Gaza border communities overrun by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 — and the Northern Rehabilitation Directorate.
Elkin will also be part of the team formulating the plan for postwar Gaza, a party spokesperson said.
Sa’ar and Elkin will sit in the powerful security cabinet and “will regularly take part in security and policy consultations, including on the Iranian nuclear program,” the spokesman added.
